Next week, bus stops along the east side of the College Park Metro will temporarily close for about nine months due to Purple Line construction, according to the University of Maryland’s Department of Transportation Services.
Starting “on or about Sunday,” stops along the Metro’s bus loop will relocate along River Road, according to a DOTS advisory posted on its website. The routes of the 104 Shuttle-UM and 109 River Road buses will be adjusted to stop at these new locations, but their schedules are not expected to change.
[Read more: After construction delays, the Purple Line development team has a new CEO]
The change in bus routes comes amid other steps to get the campus ready for the Purple Line, which will stretch 16 miles and connect the Bethesda and New Carrollton Metro stations. Campus Drive transitioned permanently to a one-way street last August, and workers have been cutting down trees along the roadway since then.
The team of companies behind the line’s construction and the Maryland Transit Authority disagree over when the line will be ready to open — the state has said late 2022, while Purple Line Transit Partners has said spring 2023 at the earliest — but when it is, the light rail will have five stops on or near campus.
[Read more: The Purple Line will make UMD’s Campus Drive a permanent one-way street]
